Finally, an end to the Aledmys Diaz speculation

I can't wait to find out the real story on the St. Louis Cardinals' latest acquisition, Aledmys Diaz.

Scouting reports on the Cuban defector have been across the board with the New York Yankees dismissing Diaz as a future utility infielder and the Cardinals comparing him to soon to retire Bronx Bombers shortstop Derek Jeter.

It says something that the Redbirds were reportedly able to snag Diaz for less than $20 million over four years. That's at least 20 percent lower that the most recent comparable Cuban defectors. And it may be considerably less than that.

But the Cardinals have a way of picking out diamonds in the rough and polishing them into productive major league players. It's entirely possible that the Redbirds talent evaluators have found another hidden gem.

After all, while $20 million is RELATIVELY cheap, it ain't cheap. And I sincerely doubt that the Cardinals would throw money away on a player if they didn't really believe that guy had a chance to be a significant contributor.

As stocked as the Birds are in young talent, one thing the club could use is a versatile, right-handed hitting infielder.

The Cardinals could be a nightmare for opposing managers because of the way they can interchange position players.

About Cheap Seats

Scott Wuerz is a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan and a veteran writer. He has penned the View From the Cheap Seats Cardinals fan blog for the Belleville News-Democrat since 2007.
Contact him on Twitter @scottwuerz or by leaving a comment.